Business model innovation: Alphacam offers online 3D printing service

Dec.17, 2012

3D printing brings many opportunities and promises in so many fields that the whole world is about to change in the next few years. Many companies will have to rethink their business models. At Euromold 2012 Staples and Mcor Technologies announced they partnered on a new project "Staples Easy 3D." that will let you print 3-D objects at your local Staples retail store. EOS is also thinking about a new "pay per use" business model that you only pay for the use of the machine.

AlphaCam from Schorndorf, the German partner of Stratasys, realizes the technical innovations can only reach to the mass market if there is no big investment needed. AlphaCam needs a new business model to competing against the low-cost 3D printer suppliers. Therefore Alphacam set up online site Fabberhouse.de and has started offering a rapid prototyping service. The idea behind fabberhouse is "3D printing for everybody".

Fabberhouse provides services of manufacturing individual plastic parts through a web-based platform and a production department with several 3D printers. It is available for all individuals, freelance workers and micro-enterprises to take action themselves and print parts in 3D. The deliveries can be made worldwide.

For each order, you pay for the material used for construction. This means you only need to pay:

€0.49 per cm³ of material used

€4.90 (optional) for removal of support material

€4.90 (for Germany) (optional) flat-rate shipping fee

The parts are produced on Stratasys printers and a HP Designjet Color 3D Printer the Dimension SST 1200es. The standard layer thickness is 0.254 mm, and the material used is ABS. The parts are usually manufactured in the color ivory, if you need another color, you can always check Fabberhouse's color calendar which gives you an overview of when your chosen color can be ordered.

for the Dimension SST 1200es 3D printer, the maximum possible size for the part to be constructed in one go is 254x254x305 mm. When calculating for the HP Designjet Color 3D Printer, the part can be 203x203x152 mm. Of course you can always split your part in the CAD system and construct it in several pieces.

This is an ideal way to try out yourself what it's like to run your own 3D printer. And for small businesses it is the best way to develop their business without having to invest first. These providers not only look for innovation in the technology, but also in new business models. It is just the beginning of technology driven innovation, but I think we all agree it is time to shift the focus from what you have on offer to how we can benefit everyone.